AG says Canterbury woman killed by trooper was drunk, had drugs in her system

The woman shot to death by a state trooper follow a chase last month had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit and drugs in her system, according to the autopsy report.

Wendy Lawrence, 45, of Canterbury, was shot to death by Trooper Chad Lavoie after leading police on a chase from Concord to Manchester. Lawrence was killed near the intersection of Kennard Road and Dave Street in Manchester in a shooting Attorney General Joseph Foster deemed justified.

The autopsy report confirmed Lawrence was struck by four shots with a wound to the chest being fatal. The report released Friday revealed Lawrence had a blood alcohol level of .182, the legal limit in New Hampshire is .08. Traces of marijuana, Oxycodone and Prozac also were found.

According to court records, Lawrence had a history of drunk driving offenses.

After an investigation of the circumstances of the shooting, Foster concluded it was reasonable for Trooper Lavoie to believe Lawrence would have run him down had he not opened fire.